blakeley



Feb. 21, 1956 Filed Oct. 8, 1951 G. M. BLAKELEY 2,735,713

LOG GRAB 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR BY Mm 1012M; ATTORNEY G. M. BLAKELEY 2,735,713

LOG GRAB Feb. 21, 1956 Filed Oct. 8, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 21, 1956 G; M. BYLAKELEY 2,735,713

LOG GRAB Filed Oct. 8, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 4442A. w'Foc/es W ATTORNEY Feb. 21, 1956 BLAKELEY 2,735,713

LOG GRAB 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 8, 1951 INVENTOR Gar/an M 5/01? by, fiewwef BY MM. QJFFZOWS ATTORNEY United States Patent LOG GRAB Application October 8, 1951, Serial No. 250,222 12 Claims. (Cl. 294-67) Maine,

The present invention relates to a log grab, and more particularly to a machine suitable. for quickly loading and unloading a plurality of logs simultaneously from a stack by gripping their end portions.

In the pulp wood industry a great deal of labor and energy is expended in handling the individual logs or bolts of pulp wood. The usual procedure is for the wood to be cut into logs approximately four feet long and then piled into stacks approximately four feet high in the woods ad acent to the point of cutting. Later on, this wood is loaded into trucks by hand and transported to a river bank or to a point adjacent to a railroad siding where it is again stacked in four foot high tiers ready for loading either onto railroad cars or by Water transport. in all of this handling, each individual log is handled manually at each transfer point.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for simultaneously handling a plurality of stacked objects.

It is a further object of the present invention to proyide a machine for handling a plurality of logs simultaneously without individually lifting the logs.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a machine adapted to pick up a stack of logs or the like and thereafter to place them down without materially disturbing their arrangement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for handling a plurality of logs simultaneously which includes a plurality of opposed pointed members which are mounted in a pair of opposed frames adapted to be reciprocated toward and from one another.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a log grab utilizing pointed members to engage the logs in combination with stripper plates for stripping the logs from the grab.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the grab;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the grab;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the grab along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 1 showing the grab in operative position;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the grab with the operating mechanism removed; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the grab in use in the field.

Referring to the drawings, the log grab consists in general of three main parts which include a U-shaped stationary frame A and two sliding L-shaped members B and C which slide in the frame A. The frame A includes a pair of plates 10 which act as vertical legs adapted to straddle the load to be lifted which plates are connected together at their upper outer ends by frame members 11 to form the U-shape. The plates 10 are also connected near their upper center portions by a 14 extending upwardly above the member 12. A hole 15 is provided in each member 14 at a point near the upper end thereof to enable a pin or the like to pass therethrough for connecting a lift cable or rope which extends upwardly to acrane or other lifting apparatus. The lowermost portion 16 of each plate 10 is bent outwardly so as to form an acute angle with the vertical, and the portion 16 is strengthened by means of a plurality of struts 17.

Each plate 10 is passage of gripping will be described hereafter.

cal frame member 21, extending inwardly therefrom adjacent to the frame member 11 of frame A. The horizontal beams 24 are approximately one-half as long as the frame members 11 and are connected at their inner ends by frame members 23.

face of which act as a track on which the horizontal beams 24 slide. Each member 25 extends virtually the entire length of the frame member 11 and is attached thereto by bolts 26. A bar 27 is attached to the inner portion of the U-shaped member 25' which serves to limit adjacent the upper and lower flanges are attached plates 28. A bearing plate 29 is attached to the inner surface of each plate 28. bearing plates 29 ride on the upper and lower surfaces respectively of the U-shaped member 25. A plate 30 is outer portion of the beams 24 to assist in limiting the lateral movement of the sliding surfaces.

The grippin members 20 illustrated as spikes are mounted in the L-shaped members B and C in such a manner that when the members B and C are in their operative position as shown in Fig. 4, the points of the spikes extend inwardly through the holes 18 in the plates 16. The spikes 20 in the member C are fixed and do not move with respect to member C. However, the spikes it? in the member B are spring loaded by means of springs 31 mounted in cylinders 32 in which the spikes travel.

extend through the holes 18 and engage the ends of the logs extending therebetween. However, when the members B and C are in the inoperative position, the spikes 20 do not extend beyond the plates 10. Thus, as the C are moved apart, the spikes are withdrawn and the plates 10 act as stripper plates to remove the load. The members B and C are actuated by pneuto house a piston and piston rod 34, and is provided with a fluid connection 35 at one end thereof and a connection 36 at the other end which act as an inlet and outlet for the fluid. A valve mechanism 37 is provided in the lines 38 and 39 which lead to the connections 35 and 36 respectively. Thus fiuid can be directed to either side of the piston in the cylinder 33 and bled from the opposite side to move the piston in either direction as desired. The piston rod 34 extends from the cyl'mder 33 to a bracket 40 which is rigidly mounted on the frame member B. A linkage is provided connecting the cylinder 33 of member C and the bracket 40 of member B. The linkage is composed of a central link 41 that is pivoted at its central point to a pivot stud 42 that is mounted on cross members of the U-shaped member A. One end of link 41 is pivotally attached to an end of link 43 which is pivotally connected at its other end to the bracket 40. The opposite end of link 41 is pivotally attached to one end of a link 44 which is pivotally connected at its other end to cylinder 33. Thus, when fluid is admitted through line 38 to the inner end of cylinder 33, the piston is moved in a direction toward member C thus pulling bracket 40 by means of piston rod 34 in the same direction. means of links 41, 43 and 44, the movement of the bracket 40 toward member C results in the opposite movement of cylinder 33 toward member B, thus bringing members B and C together. Conversely, the admission of the fluid through line 39 to the outer end of cylinder 33 results in a movement of the piston rod 34 in the opposite direction with the resulting separation of the members B and C.

The U-shaped frame A and plates serve the function of guiding the grab as it stack of logs, and to act as stripper plates to strip the logs off of the spikes when the load is released. On the closing stroke of the piston rod 34, the members B and C move toward one another thus driving the spikes through the holes 18 in the plates 10 and into the ends of the logs. On the opening stroke of the piston rod, the spikes are retracted behind plates 10, thus stripping the logs from the spikes. The spring actuated spikes of member B take care of variations in the length of the individual logs in the stack.

In operation, the grab is attached to a crane as indicated in Fig. 6. The L-shaped members B and C are maintained in the inoperative position (spaced away from one another) as the grab is lowered over a stack of wood with the plates 10 of the U-shaped frame A located opposite the ends of the logs. The L-shaped members B and C are then moved to the operative position whereby the spikes engage the ends of the logs. The grab can then be lifted and moved as derived with a load of logs approximately four feet long, four feet high and four feet thick. At the desired point the load can be set down and released by moving the L-shaped members B and C to the inoperative position whence the logs are stripped from the spikes.

It will be noted that the pneumatic controls could be replaced equally well by hydraulic controls. Further, the grab can be utilized for handling stacked objects other than logs, and the spikes could be replaced by other gripping members such as suction cups, etc.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A log grab comprising a frame including a pair of spaced plates adapted to be placed on each end of at least one log to be lifted, at least one hole through each said plate, at least one gripping member located outwardly from each said plate, one of said gripping members being spring-mounted, means on said grab for moving said gripping members in a direction toward said plates, said gripping members being aligned with said holes so that as said gripping members move to the operative position said gripping members extend through said holes to engage the end of the log and when said gripping members is lowered to straddle the are retracted the gripping members will move to a position behind said plates whereby the plates act as strippers to remove the log from the gripping members.

2. A log grab comprising a frame including an inverted U-shaped member including a pair of depending vertical plates connected at their upper ends and open at the bottom end for straddling the ends of the logs to be lifted, at least one hole through each said plate, at least one gripping member located outwardly from each said plate, means on said grab for simultaneously moving said gripping members in a direction toward said plates, said gripping members being aligned with said holes so that as said gripping members simultaneously move to the operative position said gripping members extend through said holes to engage the ends of the log and when said gripping members are simultaneously retracted the gripping members will move to a position behind said plates whereby the plates act as strippers to remove the log from the gripping members.

3. A log grab comprising a frame including a stationary inverted U-shaped member including a pair of depending vertical plates connected at their upper ends and open at the bottom end for straddling the ends of the logs to be lifted, at least one hole through each said plate, a movable member located outwardly from each said plate, means on said grab for simultaneously moving said movable members in a direction toward said plates, at least one gripping member attached to each said movable mem ber, said gripping members being aligned with said holes so that as said movable members simultaneously move to the operative position said gripping members extend through said holes to engage the ends of the log and when said gripping members are simultaneously retracted the gripping members will move to a position behind said plates whereby the plates act as strippers to remove the log from the gripping members.

4. A loader for handling stacked objects which comprises a stationary inverted U-shaped member including a pair of depending vertical legs adapted to straddle the load to be handled, a pair of movable members adjacent to said vertical legs on the outer sides thereof, means on said loader for simultaneously moving said movable members toward and away from said vertical legs, a plurality of pointed members attached to said movable members having a length such that as said movable members are moved toward said vertical legs, said pointed members will project inwardly beyond said vertical legs to engage the load to be handled, and when said movable members are moved away from said vertical legs, said pointed members will not project beyond said vertical legs.

5. A loader in accordance with claim 4, wherein the pointed members attached to one of said movable members are immovably attached thereto and the pointed members attached to the other of said movable members are spring-mounted thereon whereby objects of varying length can be handled simultaneously.

6. A loader for handling stacked objects which comprises a stationary inverted U-shaped member including a pair of depending vertical plates connected at their upper ends and open at the bottom end for straddling the load to be handled, a plurality of holes through said vertical plates, a pair of horizontally movable members each of which is mounted on the outer side of one of said vertical plates adjacent thereto, means on said loader for simultaneously moving said movable members toward and away from said vertical plates, a plurality of pointed members attached to said movable members said pointed members being located in alignment with the holes in said plates and having a length such that as said movable members are moved toward said vertical plates, said pointed members will project through said holes in said vertical plates to engage the load to be handled and when retracted will move to a position behind said plates whereby the plates act as strippers to remove the load from the pointed members.

7. A loader in accordance with claim 6, wherein the pointed members attached to one of said movable members are immovably attached thereto and the pointed members attached to the other of said movable members are spring-mounted thereon whereby objects of varying length can be handled simultaneously.

8. A loader in accordance with claim 6, wherein each said movable member is L-shaped including a vertical portion to which said pointed members are attached and a horizontal portion extending toward said other movable member on which said means for moving said movable members are mounted.

9. A loader for handling stacked objects which comprises a stationary inverted U-shaped member including a pair of depending vertical plates connected at their upper ends by a pair of horizontal frame members and open at the bottom end for straddling the load to be handled, a plurality of holes through said vertical plates, a pair of horizontally movable members each of which is mounted on the outer side of one of said vertical plates adjacent thereto, a plurality of pointed members attached to said movable members, each of said movable members being L-shaped including a vertical portion to which said pointed members are attached and a pair of horizontal portions extending toward said other movable member adjacent to said horizontal frame members on said stationary U-shaped member, said horizontal frame members acting as a track on which said horizontal portions of said movable members slide, means on said loader for simultaneously moving said movable members toward and away from said vertical plates, said pointed members having a length such that as said movable members are moved toward said vertical plates, said pointed members will project through said holes in said vertical plates to engage the objects to be handled and when said movable members are moved away from said vertical plates, said plates will act as stripper plates to remove the objects from said pointed members.

10. A loader in accordance with claim 9, wherein said movable members are connected together by a linkage arrangement pivoted at the central point about a pivot located on said stationary U-shaped member whereby movement imparted to one of said movable members actuates the other of said movable members in a similar movement through said linkage arrangement.

11. A grab adapted to be lowered over a stack to be grabbed for grabbing the stack and thereafter adapted to be raised, said grab comprising a frame, a pair of spaced plates supported on said frame, said plates being adapted to be associated with said stack to he grabbed, said plates being formed with openings therethrough, gripping members supported by said frame and passing through said openings, means on said grab for moving said gripping members through said plates from non-gripping position to gripping position and from gripping position to non-gripping position whereby after the grab has engaged the stack and the stack has been moved to a desired position, the gripping members may be moved to non-gripping position and the plates will act as strippers to disengage the stack from the gripping members and from the grab.

12. A loader for handling stacked objects which comprises a stationary inverted U-shaped member including a pair of depending vertical plates connected at their upper ends and open at the bottom end for straddling the load to be handled, a plurality of holes through said vertical plates, a pair of horizontally movable members each of which is mounted on the outer side of one of the said vertical plates adjacent thereto, a plurality of pointed members attached to said movable members, said pointed members being located in alignment with the holes in said plates, each said movable member being L-shaped including a vertical portion to which said pointed members are attached and a horizontal portion extending toward said other movable member, means mounted on said horizontal portions for simultaneously moving said movable members toward and away from said vertical plates, a linkage arrangement connecting said movable members together, said linkage arrangement being pivoted at the central point about a pivot located on said stationary U-shaped member whereby movement imparted to one of said movable members actuates the other of said movable members through said linkage arrangement, said pointed members having a length such that as said movable members are moved toward said vertical plates said pointed members will project through said holes in said vertical plates to engage the load to be handled and when retracted willmove to a position behind said plates whereby the plates act as strippers to remove the load from the pointed members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 211,388 Dyer Jan. 14, 1829 815,608 Mangin Mar. 20, 1906 1,221,765 Penfield Apr. 3, 1917 1,373,574 Swaney Apr. 5, 1921 1,568,716 Boulton Jan. 5, 1926 2,160,891 Neir' June 6, 1939 2,390,293 Colson Dec. 4, 1945 2,536,151 Backofen Ian. 2, 1951 2,571,550 Ehmann Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 194,730 Germany Jan. 29, 1908 196,162 Germany Mar. 7, 1908 252,876 England June 10, 1926 

